The Dublin Lions hope a move to District 6-3A Division II will improve their playoff chances for the next two seasons.

The previous two years, Dublin was in a district that included perennial playoff qualifiers Cisco, Eastland, Coleman and Tolar. The Lions finished 1-4 in district the last two seasons, missing the playoffs both years after winning a playoff game in 2014 and 2015.

The new District 6-3A DII will be formidable, since it includes seasoned playoff programs in Comanche and Tolar, plus a Jacksboro team that finished 11-2 . But the new district should improve Dublin’s chances of making the playoffs again.

“It’s a pretty tough district,” eighth-year Dublin coach Bob Cervetto said. “Millsap (4-6 ) has improved quite a bit. It looks like there will be five teams fighting for the four playoff spots.”

Dublin lost 17 seniors from a 3-7 team, but the Lions will reload with 18 seniors. They return 14 lettermen, including four offensive and three defensive starters. Help will come from last year’s 6-4 JV team.

“We’re optimistic,” Cervetto said. “These kids have been in the program for a while. They played a difficult schedule the last two years, and hopefully, we’ve gotten better at facing those kinds of challenges.

“The kids coming back will provide great leadership, and we’ll see how the JV kids respond to playing on Friday night. It’s exciting. We’ve got a chance to be successful.”

Junior Cy Wing (5-11, 185) will be the starting quarterback. Top running back candidates include senior Tyler Bell and juniors Hagen Huffman and Johnny Jurado. Several seniors should bolster the offensive line, including Jared Ricks, Stephen Locklear, Kolby Robertson and Cesar Tavera.

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Dublin's Jared Ricks(Photo: Stephen Garcia/Reporter-News)

The defense will be led by the 6-foot, 230-pound Ricks, a first-team all-district linebacker who made 82 tackles. Multiple veterans return in the secondary, including Ybarra, Stanley, Porter and Huffman. Wing may move from linebacker to the secondary.

The defensive line will include Tavera, Bell and Robertson. Gabe Renteria returns to handle the kicking and punting duties.

Last year, the Lions averaged 25 points per game but allowed 38.

Comanche, a 3A DI state quarterfinalist last year, will be the District 6-3A DII favorite. Jacksboro is rebuilding from its 11-win finish last season. Tolar returns 16 starters from last year’s 7-5 team.

Dublin starts with its traditional opener against neighboring Hico, and the Lions will rekindle an old rivalry with another close neighbor in De Leon. Dublin also faces nondistrict challenges against Albany, Brady and Breckenridge.